The Work That Made Me: Justin Barnette

This Nike ad for Kobe Bryant’s signature Hyperdunk shoe was way ahead of its time. The day after it aired during a Lakers playoff game, I remember going to school and spending the entire lunch period debating with my friends about if Kobe actually jumped over the Aston Martin or not. What was really dope to me was that its format was so outside the box as far as TV commercials go. This one was a one-shot home video quality production at a time when the world was accustomed to high production picture perfect TV ads.

It was actually a panel discussion that I attended while in college that made me want to get into the industry. The panel discussed the lack of diversity in advertising agencies and how valuable black voices are when it comes to mass communications. At the time, I was running my own business, and really enjoyed the marketing aspect of it, so the idea of being able to work on advertising/marketing full-time sounded very appealing to me. I also know that I have a very unique and insightful point-of-view coming from a background in music, fashion, and entrepreneurship that I wanted gives me the ability to speak to a demographic of people that are often misrepresented or looked over. Being present at that panel discussion felt like a calling to join the industry.

Erykah Badu’s Baduism album has been my go-to since I was a kid. Before I was old enough to fully grasp the content, I could still feel the energy. The creativity and artistry in those songs always put me in a great space mentally.

When I was 18 years old, I independently put out an album called Rude Awakening, which was the first of eight total albums I released during my music career. This project was special for me because it was the first time that I really expressed myself artistically in a public way. Up until then I was a really shy and introverted kid (which I hated). Music helped me break out of that shell.

That H&M photoshoot situation where they had the little kid in the monkey sweater really struck a nerve with me. I still get pissed when I’m reminded of it.

I really like the idea and execution of the Travis Scott and McDonalds collab. Seeing a legacy brand like McDonalds recognise and give creative freedom to a rapper like that was amazing. It’s success really showed the influence and buying power of hip-hop and black culture. It was a win for McDonalds, a win for Travis, and a win for the culture.

Starting my own clothing company was definitely the creative project that changed everything. I started a brand called Twenty-Four Carat in 2014, which was fortunate enough to see success really quickly. That success allowed me to quit an underpaid job, while also providing me the time and money to go to college and pursue a higher education. Entrepreneurship taught me some valuable lessons and skills that no classroom or mentor could ever teach.

I’m really proud of my decision to go back to school and earn my bachelor’s degree. For me, it was much more than a piece of paper. In completing that milestone, I actually became the first man in my family to reach that level of education, so it broke a generational curse and has set a new standard that will hopefully carry on and be exceeded by the next generations to come.

In the 2000s I was one of those kids that used to wear headbands and white tees that were three sizes too big. I had a phone clip on my belt that I used to tuck my shirt underneath so that my Sidekick would show too. I’m not proud of that at all.

That would have to be a podcast that I started called ADcademics. The show featured one-on-guest guest interviews that aimed to expose students and entry-level talent to the many career paths within the advertising industry, while also providing a platform for diverse industry talent to tell their stories and offer up advice to those in need. It was a fun challenge having to wear so many hats from writing shows, recording and editing them myself, designing artwork, researching people and companies, booking talent, social media management, managing the streaming platforms, etc. It was super challenging yet rewarding at the same time being able to help so many people learn more about an industry that I have grown to really enjoy.

During the shows two year run I was able to record 33 episodes that featured guests from some of the top agencies and brands in the world like Wieden + Kennedy, Google, TBWA/Chiat/Day, Coca-Cola, Ogilvy, 72andSunny, Deutsch LA, Deutsch NY, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, Media Arts Lab, Omnicom, Reddit and more.

I recently ended production of the show, but it’s still available to stream on Spotify and Apple Podcasts if anyone’s interested in giving it a listen.